Roads Not Taken, page 13
“Yes,” Nick and Finn called out in unison.
“I hope everyone likes Mexican food,
‘cause that’s all you’re gonna find around here.”
“Whatever. Let’s just get somewhere. I gotta pee,” Nick said gruffly.
“Get off at the next exit, Malcolm. We’ll find someplace to eat and I can drive if you want.”
“I’m fine driving. Actually, I’m kinda enjoying myself.”
Savali smiled at him. “Glad you feel at home in my van.”
Malcolm pulled off the freeway onto a road with a handful of gas stations and restaurants. “Any preferences?” he called out to the back.
“They can’t see the choices back there, Malcolm. Just pick one. They’re probably all the same.”
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Malcolm pulled into one and parked.
“How do you open the goddam door, Savali?”
Nick bellowed.
“Hold your horses. I’ll come around and open it.”
“Well, hurry up. I told you I gotta take a leak.” She got out and opened the back. Nick hurried out and Finn was right behind him.
“I guess that’s what I have to look forward to in my old age,” Malcolm laughed.
“God, I hope not,” Savali answered.
The restaurant was deserted except for a couple of field workers in sweat-stained cowboy hats, drinking beer and eating nachos. Malcolm and Savali sat down and waited for Finn and Nick to join them. A disinterested waitress brought some menus and two glasses of water.
“Thanks. There will be two more coming.”
Malcolm smiled at the waitress who did not return the pleasantry. She sighed and shuffled back to the kitchen.
“Nice place you picked out, Malcolm,”
Nick said as he and Finn sat down. He lifted one of the glasses of water to take a drink, but stopped short. “I especially like the smell of the water.”
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“What do you have in cans or bottles?”
Finn asked the waitress when she returned with two more glasses of water.
“Bud or Corona,” she answered.
“Is the soda out of a machine or in cans?” Savali asked.
“Machine.”
The foursome glanced at each other and said in unison, “Corona.” They looked through the menu and ordered when the waitress returned with the beers.
“What time you figuring we’ll get to San Francisco?” Finn asked Malcolm.
Malcolm looked at his phone and shrugged. “It’ll still be around midnight if we get out of here in the next half hour.”
“We’re going to need to stop again, especially after this beer,” Nick grunted.
“Even with a pit stop, we should make good time from now on.”
“I don’t want to get there too early anyway,” Nick added. “I have to make sure the room is empty of visitors.”
“I’ll go up first and check,” Savali offered.
“That’s a stupid idea. Anthony knows you. If he’s there he’ll figure out I’m not far behind.”
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“Oh yeah. He knows you too, Malcolm, so it looks like Finn’s gonna have to case the joint.”
“I’m happy to help, but are you gonna clue me in on what the hell you’re getting me into?” Finn asked.
Savali looked at Nick. “It’s up to you to tell him, not me or Malcolm.”
Nick didn’t say anything, trying to decide what was enough to explain to Finn without disclosing his whole life story. He finally spoke. “My mother’s in the hospital and I don’t want to see any other members of my family.”
Savali snorted. “You expect people to do shit for you and yet you can’t be straight with them?”
Finn and Malcolm both started to speak at once, trying to diffuse the tension that was building in the air. “Shut up!” Nick bellowed at them. They stopped midsentence. “Okay. Finn, All the other members of my family are fucking drug dealers and I used to be one. I left the business and therefore my family is after me because they think I’m either going to tell the Feds or steal from them.”
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Finn didn’t answer right away. Finally he said, “So why do you want to see your mother now?”
“She asked to see me before she dies.”
“We never stop looking for love and approval from our parents, do we.” Finn shook his head. “The world would be a better place if we could just let bygones be bygones.”
Nick stared at Finn. Savali and Malcolm exchanged glances. And luckily the waitress brought the food so no one had to respond to Finn’s comment. They finished their dinners in silence. “This wasn’t that bad,” Finn commented as he threw a couple of twenty-dollar bills on the table.
“You don’t have to do that,” Malcolm said.
“You guys pay for the gas. I’ll take care of this,” Finn answered. “C’mon Nick. Let’s go drain our radiators before we hit the road.”
“I guess we all should,” Malcolm said as he followed Finn and Nick .He waited to see if Savali would follow them into the men’s room or go the other way.
“I’ll go fill up the tank across the street at the ARCO.” Savali took the keys out of Malcolm’s hand before he had a chance to protest. “Meet me over there.”
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Savali was nowhere to be found when the three of them got to the van. She came around from the side of the building after a couple of minutes. Malcolm peeked around the corner to study the order of the restroom doors, only to discover the ladies room had a sign taped on it saying it was out of order. She opened the back door for Finn and Nick. “You want to drive now or shall I?” Malcolm asked.
“I’ll drive for a while. You can do the last stretch after the next pit stop. That way you can do the city driving.”
“Okay,” Malcolm said. He climbed into the passenger seat while Savali hopped into the driver’s seat. She got the starter to catch on the first try and then mischievously popped the clutch.
“Jesus Christ!” Nick shouted. “And we thought Malcolm was bad!”
Savali shot a playful grin at Malcolm. “I just wanted to break the icy mood back there,”
she whispered to him.
“I think you did. Now the two of them can grouse about your driving instead of whether Nick’s intentions are out of affection for his mother or out of his own neediness.”
“Have you read any of Finn’s books?”
“No. How many did he write?”
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“A couple that I know of. One was his memoir called Ode to Forgiveness. He had a crappy childhood with a mother who didn’t stand up against his alcoholic father who beat them both. He left Ireland and moved here and never saw her again. That’s where he was coming from when he said that to Nick.”
“I guess not every mother deserves enduring, unquestioned love.”
“Life’s just not that simple, Malcolm.
Maybe you didn’t have a complex relationship with your mother. It was terrible that she died when you were so young. But she was a good mother. You just really don’t know what it’s like.”
“And you?”
“And me, what?”
“What kind of relationship did you have with your mother?”
“Complicated.”
Malcolm nodded, not expecting any further details at this time. They fell into a comfortable silence as the van roared on over the dark, flat valley. The two old men fell fast asleep on the futon.
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23
SAVALI PULLED OFF INTERSTATE 5 AT
HARRIS RANCH. The reek from the mountains of manure at the feedlot just to the north failed to rouse the old men in the back, but Malcolm was already covering his face with his hand. Nick and Finn were fast asleep; they didn’t even wake up as they drove past Harris Ranch.
“How do people stay at that motel and eat at that restaurant?” Malcolm gasped through his fingers.
“The premises stay sealed for their protection,” Savali sniffed. “You only have to hold your breath when you’re outside.” She then turned her head and piped up, “Hey Shamu and Al Capone, time for your pit stop!”
There was a stirring and grumbling in back that suddenly broke off into choking.
“Jesus Christ! What’s that disgusting smell?”
Nick snapped. “Did someone crap in their pants?”
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“No. That’s just cattle in purgatory. You two get out and do your thing, so we can get the hell out of here.” She got out of the van and opened the back door. The wall of fumes momentarily stunned Nick and Finn, but they eventually hobbled off to an adjacent Minimart.
“You coming Mata Hari?” she asked Malcolm.
“Mata Hari?” he asked as he got out of the passenger side.
“I don’t know. I got tired of calling you James Bond. Wasn’t that some famous spy?”
“Yeah, but . . . oh never mind.” He walked next to Savali, eager to see which restroom she entered. But again, his hopes were thwarted when he saw one door plastered with an out of order sign and Finn waiting outside the other.
“Maybe the shit smell is from the lack of plumbing,” Finn snorted.
Malcolm grinned. “Anybody want a drink or a snack while we wait?”
“Whiskey could make the smell
bearable,” Finn mused.
“Probably nothing but beer here.”
“Forget it. I’ll wait until we get to the city.”
Nick came out and Finn went in.
Malcolm went to the cash register with a bag of 202
peanuts. Savali, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. The three men used the bathroom and went back to the van. Nick tried the door but it was locked. “Where the hell is Savali?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll go back inside and look.” Malcolm returned to the Minimart and when he came out, he saw Savali exiting the van, dressed in a tailored, button-down man’s shirt and slacks.
“Why did you change your clothes?”
Nick asked.
Savali shrugged. “Felt like it. You drive, Malcolm.” She handed him the keys. Everyone scrambled into their respective seats and Malcolm started the van without incident. He pushed the column shift up towards him, backed the van out of the greasy parking spot, and dropped the lever down to first. The van rumbled away and with a deft shift up, he left the Minimart behind and entered the on-ramp.
“I think you might drive my van better than I do,” Savali murmured.
Malcolm smiled a little, but not at her.
“Got to treat her like you want to be treated,”
he replied simply.
They drove in silence for a while. Savali closed her eyes and Malcolm glanced at her, 203
trying to determine if she was asleep or simply meditative. When her mouth opened slightly, and her breathing became more regular, he decided she was sleeping. Whistles, puffs and low moans coming from the back reported that Finn and Nick had gone back to sleep, as well.
Great. They’ll all be rested and he’ll be exhausted while they whittle the night away.
Maybe he could just crash on Finn’s friend’s sofa. He wouldn’t put it past Savali to have some crazy things she wanted to do in San Francisco in the middle of the night. Well, she could do them herself. Anyway, maybe that’s why she dressed as a man now: to ward off any men. Or maybe it was because she wanted to attract the gay contingent. Malcolm killed a couple of hours trying to unravel the mystery that was Savali.
The passengers all awoke when
Malcolm fumbled for his wallet as he approached the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza. “You need the toll?” Savali asked as she reached into her own pocket.
“Yeah, I might dump us into the bay trying to get my wallet out.” She handed him a ten. He gave it to the toll taker and gave the change back to Savali. “One of the nice things about Los Angeles is no toll.”
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“Weather’s better too,” Savali replied.
“Are we here? What time is it?” Nick asked. His voice was shaky and taut.
“Just going over the bridge. Hey, I never asked what hospital your mother is in.”
“That one named after that Facebook guy.”
“What? Mark Zuckerberg?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“I didn’t know he donated a bunch of money to a hospital. But that still doesn’t tell me where it is?”
“Hold on,” Savali said as she looked at her phone. “San Francisco General?”
“No. The other one, the one connected to the university,” Nick answered.
“UCSF? Well, that’s not the same place as San Francisco General and that’s the one named after Zuckerberg. So which one is it?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake. Let me look again.” Nick took out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Oh, not the Zuckerberg one. They’re connected and that’s the number I called first.
It’s the UCSF one.”
“And where’s that?” Malcolm asked.
“Keep your pants on,” Savali answered as she looked up the map on her phone. “At least for now.” She winked at Malcolm who 205
grinned and shook his head. “Okay. Get off here at Duboce and then go left on Market.”
She continued guiding Malcolm through the streets of San Francisco, arriving at the hospital about twenty minutes later.
Malcolm stopped the van. “Here we are, Nick. It’s about twelve thirty. Shall we send Finn up first to see if the coast is clear?”
“How am I going to get into the room when visiting hours have been over for hours?”
Finn asked.
“Ask for Lloyd. He’s the night nurse who’s waiting for me.” Nick almost whispered.
“Yeah, brilliant idea. I say I’m you and then how do you get in?”
“Just say you’re another brother of Anthony’s.” Savali chimed in.
“Oh, now I’m just an Italian
leprechaun.”
“For God’s sake, Finn,” Savali snapped.
“No one cares that much. The lady’s dying.
What can happen to her?”
“Oh I’ll go!” Nick suddenly shouted.
“Just open this goddam door!”
Savali got out and opened the back of the van. “Want us to wait in the waiting room?”
“Just go. I have that phone Malcolm got me. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
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Malcolm and Savali looked at each other, unsure if this was the wisest plan. “I don’t know, Nick.” Malcolm finally said. “I still think it would be better for Finn to check out that no one is there, first.”
“Why don’t you call that Lloyd fellow at the nurse’s station and see if the coast is clear?”
Finn suggested.
“Yeah!” Malcolm and Savali said in unison.
Nick looked up the number and called.
“I’m calling about Francesca Balducci. Is Lloyd there?” He was quiet for some time as the sound of distorted music drifted from his phone. “Yeah, hey Lloyd. Is anyone else there?
Okay, thanks.” He hung up. “The coast is clear.
I’ll call you.” He got out of the van and walked toward the entrance, often looking side to side and behind himself. The three others watched him enter the building.
“Where to, Finn?” Malcolm asked.
“Go back to Stanyan and take a left.”
Finn looked at a piece of paper he had taken from his pocket and read off the directions.
After a couple of mistaken turns due to Finn’s inability to read his own handwriting, they finally pulled up in front of a small, pink stucco house perched high above the street.
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“This is it.”
“What do you want to do, Malcolm?”
Savali asked. “Do you want to stay here with Finn? I was going to go to a couple of clubs and check them out.”
“I don’t know. I thought we were going to stay here with Finn’s friend.”
“Whatever you want. I’m just giving you the option.”
“Can you open this goddam door while you’re making this earth-shattering decision?”
“I see you haven’t mellowed out completely in your old age,” Savali replied.
Savali got out of the passenger seat and opened the door. Malcolm got out with her, still unsure whether or not he wanted to go with her. What clubs was she talking about? Gay ones? Is that why she dressed back up as a man?
Or did she want to go trolling for women? He wanted to go with her, if it would just be the two of them going out. “So what’s your plan?”
she asked.
